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Aliesha & Jonathan's Secret Garden Wedding

Unlike us Brits, when it comes to hosting a wedding in Summer outdoors in Australia you can go to town, as there's no worries about it raining! Aliesha and Jonathan did just that by hosting their wedding in Hunter Valley Gardens in New South Wales. Hosting both their ceremony and elements of their reception outdoors, the couple made the most of their venue by creating a truly magical space for their dancefloor, glittering with fairylights. With the couple having met back when they were neighbours at the sweet age of 15, the whole day was a joyous occasion for all involved, having witnessed their love grow over all those years. We caught up with Aliesha to find out all about the proposal, the wedding and some of their favourite bits of the day.

So Aleisha, after all those years how did Jonathan decide to propose?!

The evening started with a helicopter ride to Sydney from the Blue Mountains. We were then driven in a Bentley to the Park Hyatt from the airport. There we had a beautiful degustation dinner in the ‘Dining Room’ followed by a romantic walk along the harbor where he proposed with the perfect view overlooking all of the lights. My husband is very spontaneous!

With most brides, their next step is the dress! How did you pick yours?

It was quite the process as it took many, many shopping trips! I drew my inspiration for my wedding gown from lots of pins on my dream board. Interestingly enough, the dress I ended up with was completely different to what I had imagined but as soon as you see the perfect one, you just know. I fell in love with it!

How did you choose what your theme was going to be?

Originally, I wanted a beach wedding which slowly evolved into a vineyard wedding which, when looking for venues in the Hunter Valley, turned into an end product at the Hunter Valley Gardens where I got the best of all worlds!

What was your favorite moment from the day?

My favourite moment from our wedding day was when my husband and I took the time to go offsite with our photographer, videographer and wedding party between the ceremony and reception to capture some heartfelt shots. For us, it's important to really take in the day and everything that had happened so far and to share in the excitement of the evening ahead with those we love most.

On that note, do you have any tips for future brides to be?

Let all of the decisions be yours and your partner’s – everyone has opinions on what they think it should look like, well intended I am sure, but in order to be super satisfied with how your day unravels, you need to know that every decision you made was of that of you and your other half.